We Must Labor for Time and Eternity, April 4

He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. Exodus 12:27. Eternal interests are at stake with every one of us. We shall all be tried and tempted. Many act as though there were no devil, no tempter, no conflict between good and evil. Unless you realize that you have something to contend against, your feet will slip from under you. Someone will come to our churches with a message, and you will be unable to discern light from darkness, and will be just as likely to accept the darkness as the light. “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Revelation 3:3). Many are bringing themselves into close affinity to the world. Many have not heeded the light that has called us to place our children under the best influences, where they will hear the truth. Many have not heeded the instruction of the Lord to take their children from the public schools and place them in schools where they can learn the truths of the Word of God, line upon line, and precept upon precept. Their education should be made preparatory to the education that is to be continued in the higher school above. When the judgments of God were about to fall upon the land of Egypt, Christ gave instructions through Moses that the children of Israel were to call their children in and keep them under their own roof. If any should be found in the houses of the Egyptians, they would not escape the plagues. Keep your children close to you and, so far as possible, away from worldly and evil influences. The Lord wants you to prepare your children for the future, immortal life. Unless we are more careful, our children will imbibe the same spirit of unbelief that was revealed among the Israelites of old, by reason of which God could not bring them into the Promised Land. Let us put on the whole armor of God and act like people who are waiting for their Lord to come in the clouds of heaven. When you do this, souls will be converted. Your ministers will not labor month after month and bring no one into the truth. We are to hunt and fish for souls. Sometimes you will catch fish and sometimes you will not, but we are to persevere in the work of God, knowing that He has given us a message to unbelievers, a message that will win its way to many hearts.—Manuscript 161, 1904.